2.5 stars This volume is kind of losing me. I’m losing interest in the story, and some of it is hard to follow what’s even happening. This volume had l2.5 stars This volume is kind of losing me. I’m losing interest in the story, and some of it is hard to follow what’s even happening. This volume had less romance than the other two and that’s easily my favorite part about this whole series ...more
I really wasn't enjoying the first half of this book very much, but then the second half of this book was so great, it almost made me cry. I feel likeI really wasn't enjoying the first half of this book very much, but then the second half of this book was so great, it almost made me cry. I feel like this book has so much to say about how difficult it can be so to be a full-time caretaker of someone, and the mental toll that can take on you. But also, about post partem depression, and how impossible it can be to be a single mother and take care of an infant child on your own. The ending was surprising and horrifying and it brought tears to my eyes, reading this book was quite the roller coaster of emotions.
4.5 stars This was soooooo freaking creepy and so well written. This book really got under my skin. It has a lot of specific subtle things that really 4.5 stars This was soooooo freaking creepy and so well written. This book really got under my skin. It has a lot of specific subtle things that really freak me out in horror. But ALSO, this book has such GREAT characters. I loved the sapphic relationship between Betty and Ashling in this book, I loved reading about them. There's something so eerie about the writing in this book, it has really stayed on my mind long after I've finished reading this book.
Also, since finishing this book I've been listening to With or Without You by U2 almost every day haha that's such a great song! I've always loved it, but I forgot just how great it is and it's back on my current rotation haha, so thanks for that!
Wow, this was stunning. So beautifully written and thought provoking, and very timely. It was also very special to read the authors note at the end ofWow, this was stunning. So beautifully written and thought provoking, and very timely. It was also very special to read the authors note at the end of this and hear more about why this author felt the need to share this story.
Ahhhh, I loved this so much more than I thought I would. This story is such a slow burn, but I really connected with the protagonist and the writing sAhhhh, I loved this so much more than I thought I would. This story is such a slow burn, but I really connected with the protagonist and the writing style and the concept is fascinating!!! The Centre is this mysteriously place where you can pay a price to learn a new language within 10 days, but it’s very private and hush hush and invite only. I love weird stories like this with a unique concept. The writing was so freaking good, there were so many great quotes about language and translation and why it matters so much. This book was also packed full of great social commentary like this:
“gratitude and admiration when a white person speaks a non-white language, and only contempt and indignation for non-white people who don’t speak English”
I loved the discussion about female friendships and how friendships can be just as important as romantic relationships even though they are never celebrated in the same way. This quote about friendships: “the slow burning love of female friendship keeps the world turning” just really meant a lot to me.
I was really moved by so many thought provoking quotes like this:
“There can be something quite devastating in feeling a comfort you can barely remember. It can make you grieve, if I’m honest, for something that you’d always felt a vague sense of loss over but never know for certain you were missing.”
This book was exactly the kind of weird I like in my horror books, it had great atmosphere. I think if you enjoyed Catherine House or Natural Beauty, I would put those in the same category as this book! ...more
4.5 stars This was so fascinating!!! What an interesting concept. A town where the rain takes away your memories, I loved it! It was so unique, but it 4.5 stars This was so fascinating!!! What an interesting concept. A town where the rain takes away your memories, I loved it! It was so unique, but it also reminded me of The Memory Police and Memento. I love books that deal with memories like this. The character we followed in this book was so interesting! I had a lot of fun with this. I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending, which is why I can't give it the full 5 stars, but this was incredibly thought provoking.
3.5 stars Ahhh, this started off so strong for me, with two five-star short stories back-to-back, but then a lot of the rest were just okay or not that3.5 stars Ahhh, this started off so strong for me, with two five-star short stories back-to-back, but then a lot of the rest were just okay or not that interesting. I've read so many Junji Ito short story collections at this point, and he's become very hit or miss for me. When he does it right though, it's soooo good and his horror is so creepy and effective, and I love his ideas. Some of his short stories are so original and strange I love it. But some of these didn't feel very creepy and at all and were actually pretty boring and felt too long. I will always continue to read more from this author because I really do love his style and his ideas, but I expected more from this collection. My favorites are by far Alley and Descent! I included all my individual ratings for each story down below:
Alley - 5/5 Descent - 5/5 The Ward - 3/5 The Inn - 3/5 Blessing - 2/5 Smokers Club - 2/5 Mold - 4/5 Town of No Roads - 3/5 Memory - 2/5 Ice Cream Bus - 3.5/5...more
3.75 This surprised me a lot! I had a fun time with this, I love thrillers that focus on mother/daughter relationships and this one was especially inte3.75 This surprised me a lot! I had a fun time with this, I love thrillers that focus on mother/daughter relationships and this one was especially interesting because they hadn't spoken to each other in 2 years. I liked that we got both the mother and daughter's POV's and that we go back and forth after she has survived this plane crash and she's trying to survive in the wilderness. It was very action packed with short chapters and easy to fly through! Some of the ending lost me a little bit, it had a few tropes I typically don't enjoy in thrillers, but otherwise, this one was super interesting and a fun time!
I'm so glad I enjoyed this book as much as I did. I loved the friendship between Billie and Cassie, it was so fascinating to read about. I've always bI'm so glad I enjoyed this book as much as I did. I loved the friendship between Billie and Cassie, it was so fascinating to read about. I've always been a big fan of reading about toxic female friendships, and this book definitely had that. I also really connected with Billie in this book, and the way she talked about how she doesn't want children. I think as far as a mystery thriller goes, there wasn't anything super shocking in this story for me, it was mostly predictable. But I really connected with the characters in this book a lot so that's why I enjoyed it so much.
I have mixed feelings on this one! I wanted the characters to feel a little more fleshed out, and I also think the pacing was slow throughout most of I have mixed feelings on this one! I wanted the characters to feel a little more fleshed out, and I also think the pacing was slow throughout most of the book. I think it could've been better if it was 100 pages shorter. But WOW, that ending was so great and there was a fun twist I didn't see coming.
This was fascinating! I love the idea of short horror stories that are inspired by real life and all follow the same character! Some of these were betThis was fascinating! I love the idea of short horror stories that are inspired by real life and all follow the same character! Some of these were better than others, but there were a few I really loved and will really stick with me!
4.5 stars Ahhhh, nobody does short horror stories in manga better than Junji Ito! I loved so many of these! Definitely one of my favorite collections f4.5 stars Ahhhh, nobody does short horror stories in manga better than Junji Ito! I loved so many of these! Definitely one of my favorite collections from him so far!
2.5 stars Ahh, I wanted to love this so bad. I was a big fan of this authors debut novel when I read it a few years ago, and I’ve been in my self-procl2.5 stars Ahh, I wanted to love this so bad. I was a big fan of this authors debut novel when I read it a few years ago, and I’ve been in my self-proclaimed *vampire era* in this last year and I thought I was going to love this! But I just didn’t connect with it the way I was hoping to. I LOVED the beginning, I was convinced it would be a new favorite, but I found so much of this story to be so boring, and I didn’t really feel any chemistry with the romance. I love the concept of this book, I love the idea of vampires that are written about in a popular book series being real, but the execution of this story wasn’t my favorite.
I also didn’t like that the tone felt all over the place, at times it was so serious when talking about our protagonist’s past, she is a survivor of sexual assault and it gets brought up constantly anytime she has any romantic scenes, but then in the next scene the tone of the book feels more silly and campy and kind of cheesy? It just didn’t really work for me. Some scenes kind of read like fanfiction for other vampire franchises, and some of the mixed media elements of this book got annoying after a while. I don’t think this book needs to be 400 pages long, it really started to drag after a while. ...more
I love romances like this with a time travel twist to them! This was so fun. I ended up really connecting with the characters and ending was really inI love romances like this with a time travel twist to them! This was so fun. I ended up really connecting with the characters and ending was really interesting too, I felt a lot of sympathy for the protagonist with making hard decisions. I also loved the slow burn romance as she started to fall for her husband in the future and bond with her children, I thought it was so sweet.
3.5 stars This was so fun! This had all the nostalgia of 80's horror films. I love how it simultaneously feels like the cheesy horror movies of that ti3.5 stars This was so fun! This had all the nostalgia of 80's horror films. I love how it simultaneously feels like the cheesy horror movies of that time, but also addresses very serious and realistic horror like addiction and dementia. All the characters were so interesting and well fleshed out, and the ending was perfect, I loved it so much.
Ahhhhh, what the heck I loved this!!!! I would recommend going into this book knowing absolutely nothing about it, I just think it's better to experieAhhhhh, what the heck I loved this!!!! I would recommend going into this book knowing absolutely nothing about it, I just think it's better to experience it that way. I loved Sally's character, she was so interesting to read about and not only her perspective, but a second perspective in this book that got explored was my favorite. These characters were soooo fascinating and felt so real. There were so many shocking scenes, especially in the second half, I was GLUED to the page, I couldn't put it down.
I included this book and one other in a Patreon exclusive vlog, where I talk about spoilers for this one and get deep into my thoughts about it, you can see it here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/106214157...more
This book was so thought provoking and interesting, and it had such great social commentary on the expectations society places among us. People shouldThis book was so thought provoking and interesting, and it had such great social commentary on the expectations society places among us. People should not have to aspire to a great career or marriage or anything they don't want. Keiko was such a fun character to follow. I wish the ending got a little more unhinged, it was pretty mild in my opinion.
1.5 stars This was so incredibly boring, felt like a waste of time. Nothing interesting happened.
Here's the reading vlog where I read this book and a f1.5 stars This was so incredibly boring, felt like a waste of time. Nothing interesting happened.